GRUMMAN WILL LEASE SPACE IN OGDEN FOR AEROSPACE PARTS FACILITY

Grumman Corp., the Bethpage, N.Y.-based aerospace company, has chosen Utah as an expansion site for a parts facility and will lease existing space for the operation in Ogden.

Kirk Green, urban marketing director for the Utah Economic Development Division, said Gov. Norm Bangerter met with Grumman officials this week and was told the company is definitely coming to Utah."Although no lease has been formalized, it looks positive," said Green, who said the initial operation a computerized parts accessing facility would create 20 to 50 new jobs.

When it was first announced in 1986 that Grumman was looking at Utah, the indication was that 50 to 100 jobs would be created. "We have confidence that they will be back up to those original projections" once the company is up and operating, said Green.

He said state and Weber County economic development officials have worked two years to bring Grumman to Utah, including visits to the company's Long Island headquarters. "The governor has taken a very active, personal role in this one," said Green

Hill Air Force Base was a "magnet" for the company, said Green, which is why the company chose Ogden for the facility.

"This adds one more aerospace company to the state," he said, "and while it's not a home run, it's still important. It helps build up our strength."

Originally, Grumman said it would go into the 110,000-square-foot Aerospace Office Center on Harrison Blvd. at 42nd Street that was built by Western Real Estate Development to attract such companies. Defense contractor TRW and B.F. Goodrich Aerospace are already tenants in the building.

But Green said it remains unclear whether Grumman still intends to go into that facility or lease space elsewhere in Ogden.